TAVOUR BLOG

Over the past few years, visitors to Logsdon Farmhouse Brewery came to get a taste of their world-renowned Farmhouse Ales, but many of them also ended up kissing a dead cow!

On the way to Logsdon’s barrel cave, you pass under the silent guardian on the way to the door -- the dead, desiccated head of Rupert, Logsdon’s cow mascot.

Rupert started out on Logsdon farms as a living mascot, the first bull of their herd of Scottish Highland cattle that eat Logsdon’s spent grains from brewing. Over the years, while Logsdon grew in popularity and acclaim, Rupert became infertile and aggressive. It was time to turn Rupert into burgers and steaks.

Dave Logsdon, the brewery’s founder, put Rupert’s head up in a tree to preserve it the natural way, and for a year birds picked at it and Rupert’s skin grew dried and shriveled. They brought it down and mounted it outside their cave as a type of scarecrow -- scaring away any bad folks that might try to steal their barrels of beer or any unwanted microflora that might contaminate them.

As guests would come for beer tastings, Brewer Curtis Bain would dare them to kiss Rupert on the way to the barrels. Surprisingly, 90% of the guests would oblige him, and a new tradition of kissing a dead dried up old cow head was born!

The public is no longer allowed on the strictly agriculturally-zoned Farmhouse Brewery, but you can still find Rupert’s mark on every one of their exceptional brews. His horns are embossed on the neck of the bottle and on the label of their Family Reserve Series. Consider practicing your smooch on that instead!